they made their way inside just far enough to see what the situation was.
Alaka took a quick look around the corner and retreated back. “I hate tunnel fighting.”
“We're above ground,” Vernen countered out of the corner of his mouth.
“Most factors are the same. There's so much weight on these supports that damaging the wrong one could bring the structure down.”
“Whatever you say,” replied Vernen as he leaned out and took several shots between the fighting refugees under cover and the supports, not striking anything in particular.
“Hey! We can't fire from here, there's too much in the way!” one of the soldiers shouted crossly.
“I'm not going out there! In case you haven't noticed they're picking people off!”
Jake peeked out and caught sight of Ayan and Oz, each taking cover behind metal counter tops on either side of the arches. He looked past them and his heart sank. “They're setting up an armoured stationary weapon.”
Alaka checked the charge on his beam cannon and peeked out briefly. “I can slow them down,” he nodded. He broke for forward cover in a dash that was more like several long leaps. In the space of two seconds he covered the distance and was behind cover. The enemy tried to take several panicked shots at him and managed to graze the very top of his helmet, doing no damage to the man beneath. He waited just a moment then rolled into a space between arches, opening fire on the soldiers trying to set up the enemy weapon emplacement under the cover of the thick supports holding up a section of the ceiling. Alaka strafed as the air around him vibrated and the intense stream of energy from his beam weapon cut through soldiers, part way into a structural support and into the comparable weapon they were setting up across the foyer.
“Cover him!” Vernen called out as he stepped out from behind cover and unleashed dozens of particle rounds per second over Alaka's head, down to his right side, and continued firing until several of his shots struck the counter Ayan and her group of nine solders were crouching behind.
Jake leapt from where he was squatting and tackled Vernen, pressing him down to the ground. When he looked back towards the foyer Oz and a few of his comrades were dragging Alaka behind cover and Ayan was laying limply on her side behind the opposite metal counter.
Jake didn't think, he only stood and ran for Ayan as quickly as he could. He was half way to her when energy bolts struck him in the shoulder, chest and thigh. The pain was blinding but he managed to jump towards the counter using his good leg. He hit the ground hard, his helmet bouncing against the worn metal flooring, but as he skid to a stop his hand touched Ayan.
Her back was riddled with holes, her vacsuit broken down under the stress of more particle energy impacts than he could count. There was so much blood on the floor already, and as he rolled her over his worst fears were realized. The transparent faceplate revealed her still, anguished face. Through the haze of his own pain he managed to try and inject her with a stasis dose but he had used the only one available and the materializer in his command and control unit had been damaged while he was still on the surface.
The world disappeared, there was just her still face, those empty blue eyes staring blankly. It felt like there was a pressure building up in his head, a crush of anguish pressing everything in his life out of focus except for the reality of losing her for a second time, losing her for good after clinging to the thought of meeting her again as a light of hope without even realizing it until she was there in front of him. He drew her body to him, holding her in his arms tightly. Rare tears ran quietly down his face as his own body was wracked with pain.
The incredible pain of his own wounds changed and become a sensation of ripping and tearing. Amidst the feelings of grief and fear a mental flash of the medical database that Vindyne had imprinted on him made an appearance, and a strange, complete throe engulfed him. He couldn't breathe, his entire body twitched involuntarily, his arms crushed Ayan to him and for a moment he felt closer to her than he'd ever felt to any thing or anyone. His sight failed, the pain ebbed and his conciousness faded in a rush of exhaustion.
“Jake?” Ayan asked in a whisper from somewhere very close.
He opened his eyes and met hers. They were glad, blue, focused and beautiful. He could hear the increased sounds of weapons fire around them and didn't much care.
“I think you did that,” she said as she reciprocated his embrace.
“I'd do it again if I knew how,” he replied, still not completely sure of what had happened, only that she was dead a moment before but had been brought back to life. “Are you all right?”
“Other than having a backless vacsuit? I'm all better and ready to leave,” She smiled at him.
“Then let's go,” he concluded as he broke their embrace and got into a crouch. There were even more soldiers across the way, and they had brought portable armoured barriers for more cover. As he mentally touched the sidearm he'd captured earlier he realized that the energy clip was empty. Reaching out with his senses only a little further he realized every power cell he had was completely dry and his command and control unit was busy collecting ambient energy, recharging from zero and just coming back online.
“Jason, is everyone in the hangar with the Clever Dream?” Ayan asked over her communicator.
“Just now, oh, and stop dying, willya? My heart can't take it.”
“I'll do my best,” Ayan replied with a little chuckle. “Retreat! We're leaving!” She shouted to Oz and everyone nearby.
Oz nodded and took one of Alaka's arms over his shoulder while another rebel took the other. “Cover us!”
Jake took a power cell from a nearby soldier's belt, loaded it into his captured sidearm and deactivated the safety with the help of the command chip in his comm unit. Everyone behind cover nearest to the hallway exit behind them opened fire on the foyer and beyond, mostly striking the makeshift barricades but causing enough of a commotion to keep the enemy occupied.
They managed to get Alaka to safety, and from there it was a mad rush to retreat down the hallway and long ramp into the more up to date section of the station interior. Within minutes they made it to the broad loading corridor that Dementia had kept secure and clear for the remaining hundred and eighty one refugees and rebels. The heavy quarantine door closed and sealed behind them, buying them precious time as they moved as quickly as they could down the spotless white and green hall. It's pristine appearance was a vast contrast to the ragged and filthy appearance of the group making haste down its length.
As Oz and Jason, at the head of the group arrived at the end the heavy blast doors opened to reveal a scene that could have only been described as serene. The Clever Dream was in the middle of a large hangar, drag marks on the deck indicated that it had been pulled there some time ago by other automations. Several repair and maintenance bots were performing final preparations, and Oz couldn't help but spot a law enforcement android pulling a large power cable free from the Clever Dream's starboard side receptacle.
Many of the ship's armour panels had been raised so supplemental systems could be installed underneath. Heat shielding foam had been sprayed onto bundles of cables that couldn't be run inside the plating, but across and down the length of the vessel's hull. The graceful shape of the ship had been ruined by the vast number of external modifications and the Clever Dream had taken on an exaggerated muscular, almost organic appearance.
Jake and Ayan caught up to the front as the refugees made their way down the ramp ways to the waiting craft. “Whoa, what happened here?” Jake asked, half amused, half stunned as he looked at the Clever Dream and obvious signs of cannibalization on the ships around her.
“Dementia says that when he arrived he was out of fuel and since this port doesn't have licensing for Xetima he had to convert the ship to run on something else.”
“So he cannibalized the surrounding ships,” Ayan finished.
“Alice is going to be pissed,” Jake said as he helped direct the refugees down towards the ship. “Did it work?”
“I'll conference you into his line, one sec,” Jason worked the controls on his comm and a moment later they were all linked with Dementia.
“Hello Jake, it's good to see you again,” it said. It's voice was a deeper, slightly distorted version of Lewis.
“Glad to see you too. Thank you for giving us a ride out of here. I see you've converted the thrusters, can you still break orbit?” Jake asked.
“I have installed a solid fuel booster for that purpose, the only drawback is that we will be visible for approximately nineteen seconds as it fires, but my shields will be able to take at least one direct hit from even the heaviest planetary weaponry.”
“Will there be enough room for everyone?” Oz asked.
